Two white foreigners were allegedly lined up to pose as tourists in Entebbe and secretly monitor President Museveni’s movements and security arrangements ahead of a purported assassination plot, the High Court in Kampala has heard.
Mr Andrew Wilson, alias Orlando, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing treason trial against opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, told the court that the two men were expected to camp in Entebbe and conduct surveillance around the State House.
‘The plan was that I would send two white people who would disguise themselves as tourists in Entebbe to keep watching the State House, watching the President’s movements, and the levels of his security,’ Mr Wilson told court.
The witness said the surveillance was intended to establish the President’s movements and security deployment so that the alleged plotters could identify the most suitable time and location for an attack.
Mr Wilson was testifying before Justice Emmanuel Baguma during the continued hearing of the case in which Dr Besigye and his co-accused face charges relating to an alleged plot to overthrow the government.
The court was shown excerpts from an over two-hour video recording in which a person whom the prosecution identified as Dr Besigye allegedly discussed President Museveni’s movements between Kampala and Entebbe.
‘He uses one road from Kampala to Entebbe, which road is closed to the general public for one hour,’ the person identified by the prosecution as
Dr Besigye is heard saying in the recording.
Mr Wilson told court that the information provided by Dr Besigye was to be combined with the surveillance findings to determine where and when the alleged attack could be carried out.
The witness claimed that the proposed method of assassinating the President was by gunfire. He also alleged that Dr Besigye had disclosed information about the President’s movements, including that Mr Museveni preferred spending the nights in Kampala rather than at State House in Entebbe.
Mr Wilson said he cautioned the alleged plotters to keep secret the identity of the person who was expected to carry out the shooting.
The witness’s testimony centred on the video recording he said he secretly made during a meeting involving Dr Besigye and his associate, Mr Joel Wakayima, in Geneva on June 14, 2024.
He told court that the meeting was held at his rented apartment and was the third consecutive meeting he had with Dr Besigye and his associates, which he alleges were aimed at planning an attack against Mr Museveni.
Mr Wilson said he recorded the proceedings using a covert camera embedded in a mobile phone power bank, which he had hidden in an adjacent room while the meeting took place in the living room.
The camera was mainly directed at a person who appeared to be Dr Besigye, although the quality of the footage was poor.
The prosecution alleges that Dr Besigye, Mr Lutale and Capt Oola participated in a series of meetings between 2023 and 2024 as part of a plan to overthrow the government. The accused persons have denied the allegations. The hearing continues on next Tuesday with Mr Wilson still taking to the witness dock.
background
Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye is currently being tried in absentia. He has been absent from the proceedings after collapsing in the court dock about a month ago while protesting against legal representation that he said he had not chosen. He was first admitted to Mulago Hospital before being returned to prison.